This is how racism takes root

[siddy_06]

The different ways the media covered two cases of men grooming children for sex show how shockingly easy it is to demonise a whole community.


Five of the eight men convicted of child sex abuse in Derby: Mark Adaoui, John Shaw, Stefan Godfrey, Anthony Lambert and Ijaz Ahmed. Photograph: Caters News Agency


By now surely everyone knows the case of the eight men convicted of picking vulnerable underage girls off the streets, then plying them with drink and drugs before having sex with them. A shocking story. But maybe you haven't heard. Because these sex assaults did not take place in Rochdale, where a similar story led the news for days in May, but in Derby earlier this month. Fifteen girls aged 13 to 15, many of them in care, were preyed on by the men. And though they were not working as a gang, their methods were similar – often targeting children in care and luring them with, among other things, cuddly toys. But this time, of the eight predators, seven were white, not Asian. And the story made barely a ripple in the national media.


Of the daily papers, only the Guardian and the Times reported it. There was no commentary anywhere on how these crimes shine a light on British culture, or how middle-aged white men have to confront the deep flaws in their religious and ethnic identity. Yet that's exactly what played out following the conviction in May of the "Asian sex gang" in Rochdale, which made the front page of every national newspaper. Though analysis of the case focused on how big a factor was race, religion and culture, the unreported story is of how politicians and the media have created a new racial scapegoat. In fact, if anyone wants to study how racism begins, and creeps into the consciousness of an entire nation, they need look no further.

Continue reading: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...ism-takes-root

[Goalshan602]

Good discovery!

[Aky786Journalist]

Great article, so true. Bottom line is that Asians who happen to be Pakistani and Muslim continue the popular and narrative that people want to believe. That it's only Asians/Pakistanis/Muslims who are the ones to watch out for and all the while it's someone else of a different race or ethnic origin doing the crime unexposed. The key to the article is fairness in reporting but I can't see it happening.

[The Shadow]

Same thing happens when it comes to potential terror attacks- with a report I read some way back listed the far right being the most likely threat.

But the media wish to keep the Islamic terror threat realistic and everyone scared.

As for the OP- I agree. The media coverage of the Rochdale group of sex offenders was national news- the word Muslim even came up let alone their ethnic background!

I hope this gets more coverage- may be send links to the EDL/BNP sites...